The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is a vibrant green African bird with a striking forked blue tail, yellow throat, and black eye stripe, known for catching bees and wasps mid-air from open perches in wooded savannas, nesting colonially in sandy banks, and sharing communal feeding/roosting habits. These colorful insectivores are easily approached, display distinct behaviors like removing stings before eating, and form pairs or small colonies, making them easily identifiable.
The swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) is a species of bee-eater native to sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds predominantly on insects, especially bees and their relatives, which are caught in flight from an open perch. Its vivid colors and forked tail are distinctive.
Like other bee-eaters, this is a richly coloured, slender bird. Its colours and readily visible forked tail make it unmistakable. It is mainly green with a yellow throat, blue gorget and black eye stripe and beak. Swallow-tailed bee-eaters can reach a length of 20–22 cm, including the long forked green or blue feathers. Sexes are alike.
It breeds in savannah woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. It is partially migratory, moving in response to rainfall patterns. This is a species which prefers somewhat more wooded country than most bee-eaters.
This attractive bird is readily approached. Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. The swallowtail has a preference for honeybees.
These bee-eaters nest as pairs or in very small colonies in sandy banks, or similar flat ground. They make a relatively long tunnel in which the 2 to 4 spherical, white eggs are laid. They also feed and roost communally.
